Blackhawks stay afloat against Red Wings

May 25, 2013|Reuters

Blackhawks stay afloat against Red Wings

CHICAGO -- On the brink of elimination after three straight losses, everything came together for the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night in Game 5 of their Western Conference semifinals against the Detroit Red Wings.

Andrew Shaw scored twice, the Hawks scored two goals on the power play and Jonathan Toews produced his first goal of the postseason as Chicago won 4-1 to stay alive in the best-of-seven series.

"Just take it game by game," said Chicago forward Patrick Sharp, who leads the team with six goals in the playoffs. "You can't win the series in one period or one shift.

"You have to just approach every game and try to win it as best you can. So we'll enjoy this one tonight, take a deep breath and give it everything we've got in Game 6."

While Blackhawks fans feared for the worst going into the game, coach Joel Quenneville had a quiet confidence that his team would right what had been a wayward ship the previous three games -- all losses.

"They could've been walking around here thinking it was an awful spot, but they had the right approach. It was a very positive, good day yesterday, and today's practice, I thought was real business-like.

"Going into the game, the guys played the way the approach was today. I commend them for being ready and doing a lot of right things."

Chicago still trails Detroit 3-2 in the best-of-seven series, with Game 6 in Detroit on Monday.

"We have to go back to Detroit, we have to win a game," Quenneville said. "I just thought today we got the momentum back on our side and let's go in there and keep it."

Detroit coach Mike Babcock expected the Blackhawks to play the way they did.

"We weren't good enough tonight at all, as far as our plan," Babcock said, showing shades of how he and his team felt after Chicago won the first game of the series, also by a 4-1 score.

"We have to play to be successful. There was too much space and they just were just having fun. Just goes to show you how hard it is to win. You have to compete and do things right if you're going to be successful."

And even though his team still holds a one-game advantage, Babcock spoke after Saturday's game as if he expects the series to go seven games.

"I can be disappointed as I want," Babcock said. "We lost the game and we have a Game 6 at home and that's the way it is. We didn't play well enough to have success, give them credit.

"The team that wins the most battles and is the most determined and lets the other team have the least amount of space has been successful. I don't think that's going to change one bit."

Chicago, which had been outscored 9-2 in the previous three games of the series -- all losses -- turned a 1-1 tie into a 3-1 edge in the second period to seal the deal.

The big key: After managing just one power-play goal in the first four games of the series, the Blackhawks sank their second man-advantage goal at 13:08 of the second period with what proved to be the winner.

Duncan Keith let fly with a slap shot from near the blue line, and Shaw redirected the shot into the net past Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard. It was Shaw's second goal of the playoffs.

Less than 2 1/2 minutes later, Chicago got another great opportunity on the power play when Detroit tough guy Justin Abdelkader was sent to the penalty box for cross-checking.

It took the Blackhawks all of 12 seconds to cash in on the man-advantage, as Toews scored his first goal of the postseason, sending a slap shot over Howard's left shoulder and into the net for an insurance score as Chicago went ahead 3-1 at 15:47.

"I thought Taser (Toews), look at his last couple games, I still thought he played a lot of great shifts and did a lot of good things in the last few games with nothing to show for it, as he probably had this whole playoffs," Quenneville said. "But a lot of times, they measure top guys on their production and obviously it's nice to get that one."

Shaw added his second goal of the game at 6:58 of the third period to put the win on ice. It was the first two-goal game of Shaw's career in the playoffs.

The Hawks outshot the Wings 17-4 in the third period and 45-26 for the game, their best offensive production in the series.

Chicago got a massive weight off its shoulder when Bryan Bickell scored the opening goal at 14:08 of the first period.

Michal Handzus and Patrick Kane both tried shots just before, with Bickell getting the third rebound and slamming it past Howard, who was drawn out of position by the first two shots.

Bickell was virtually all by himself and lifted a wrister past Howard for his fourth goal of the playoffs.

Chicago appeared to have scored a second goal about six minutes into the second period, but officials claimed the puck did not enter the net. A TV replay showed the puck clearly trickled into the net and Howard eased it out without the referees seeing it.